Fishes of Idaho

How are your identification skills? Do you know which are native and which were introduced? To see photos and descriptions, and learn more about Idaho fish, check out our Fishes of Idaho online database.

There are around 20,000 species of fish in the world. About 58% of these are marine (saltwater) fish, 41% are freshwater fish, and 1% are both. We have around 100 species in Idaho, and the list keeps growing as more non-native fish are released into Idaho waters. There are only 39 species of fish native to Idaho. The rest were introduced--some by accident, but most on purpose.

Search Database:

Perches (Perchids)

Walleye (Sander vitreus)

Non-native

Walleye are native to eastern and north-central North America. They typically spawn in spring or early summer over cobble and gravel shoals in lakes or rivers. Walleyes first spawn between the ages of 2 and 6 and can live to ages of 20 years. These fish can inhabit both rivers and lakes and tolerate cool to warm water temperatures. Adult walleye are highly piscivorous (they eat other fish) and can reach weights in excess of 20 pounds, but fish in the 1 to 3 pound range are far more common.